Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Scheduling in Library Youth Services
Quotations
There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.
Henry A. Kissinger
As you schedule individual tasks, give yourself a cushion. Mark the due date a few days
ahead of the actual deadline so you have time to deal with changes or last-minute
emergencies.
Harvey Mackay
You need to be proactive, carve out time in your schedule, and take responsibility for being
the healthiest person you can be - no one else is going to do it for you.
Mehmet Oz
Today’s Instructors
Amanda Yother is the librarian at Park View Elementary School in Cookeville, Tennessee. She
is an active member in the Association for Library Service to Children and the Tennessee
Library Association. Amanda was a recipient of the 2014 Penguin Young Readers Award and
the 2015 Putnam County School System Make a Difference Award. Amanda is seriously
passionate about early literacy, use of imagination, and having fun.
Megan Egbert is the District Programs Manager for the Meridian Library District in Meridian,
Idaho. She is a member of ALSC’s Managing Children’s Services committee and author of
the upcoming book “Creating Makers: How to Start a Learning Revolution at Your Library”
(July, 2016).
Rachel Fryd is a material selector at the Free Library of Philadelphia. She is a member of
ALSC’s Managing Children’s Services committee and YALSA’s 2016 Best Fiction For Young
Adults committee. She has no free time as she is nearly constantly reading.
Learning Outcomes
Participants will learn:
● How to create and manage a staff schedule
● How to create and manage a program schedule
● Tips on successfully managing your own schedule
Creating and managing a staff schedule
Creating a desk schedule is basically this:
Photo used with Creative Commons License from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/filu
Creating and managing a staff schedule
• Keep in mind other library departments as well as events, outreach, processing
• Understanding the staffing expectations of your department/organization
• Free Software to help you manage your schedule
• Balance your preferences with your staff needs
• Share with your staff what you have going on
Keep in mind other library departments as well
as events, outreach, processing • Things to keep in mind when scheduling:
-School Calendar
-Impact on other parts of the library
-Seasonal peaks
-Ordering of materials
-Large programs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kellymccarthy
Understanding the staffing expectations of your
department/organization
-Have a staff model
-Use stats and stories
to guide your decisions
-Be transparent in your
expectations of staff
and yourself
Free Software to Help
-Create a template so you
only need to make small
changes
-Have staff do as much of
the work as you can
-Create minimal work for
requests and
communications regarding
the schedule.
http://www.capterra.com/em
ployee-scheduling-software/
http://www.capterra.com/employee-scheduling-software/
Your Preferences/Your Staff Needs
-Where are schedules
kept?
-How are they viewable?
-How do you
communicate about
schedule changes?
Used with Creative Commons licence from https://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/
Communicate with Your Staff What You Have Going
On -Staff want to know the big picture behind
scheduling.
-Staff care about fairness, so transparency is
beneficial for everyone.
-Staff can only help each other out when they
know what is going on and who needs help.
Creating and managing a program schedule
• Managing your space, resources, and paid performers
• Space reservations
Creating and managing a program schedule
● Dispersing programs over calendar/disbursement of budget
● Observing and evaluating outside community factors/needs of all community
members
○ School schedules
○ Community programs
● Program attendance/evaluations in relation to program scheduling
○ Formal and informal evaluations
○ User surveys
Creating and managing a program schedule
Managing paid performers
● Get it in writing!
● Check with bookkeeping on required tax documents.
● Research performer’s liability insurance.
● Keep all information in a staff accessible location.
Managing your own schedule
• To Do Lists vs Scheduling Appointments
• Set yourself up to win by paying attention to your energy flow during the day
• Time management - prioritize!
• Respecting yourself & your time (spoiler alert - overcommitment will burn you out)
• Manage those sneaky time wasters
• Use technology wisely!
To Do Lists vs Scheduling Appointments
Setting Yourself Up to Win ● What time of day are you most productive?
● What time of day is it easier (or harder) for you to focus?
● What are the busy times in your library? Early storytimes or afterschool hours?
● When are you more likely to be busy answering questions and finding books vs having a block of uninterrupted time?
● Try tracking the ebb and flow of your time for one week and see if you can identify patterns.
source: http://alifeofproductivity.com/
Time Management - get your priorities on!
● What’s more important - the new book display or the staff member
performance evaluation that’s due tomorrow? (hint, you should
schedule an appointment to work on it.)
● When we are really busy and there is a lot on our to do list sometimes
it's easy to focus on the discrete tasks that are easily completed as
opposed to the open-ended, never quite finished day to day work of a
manager or supervisor
● Get comfortable with chaos - be ok with the unfinished and the open
ended.
● You’ve graduated from (the really satisfying) smaller tasks - you’re on
to the big picture now! (I know, I’m sorry.)
image source: launchcycle.com
Respecting Yourself & Your Time
● Does committing to three things seem so manageable that
you automatically say yes to the next 10 things?
● If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed and short with your
colleagues you’re past your limit.
● Every person has limits - learn yours. You’ll be happier and
so will your the people who work with you.
● Saying yes to opportunities is great! But take a step back
occasionally and ask yourself - What purpose does saying
yes to this next item serve? Is this in line with my
department’s priorities?
image: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/
On overcommitment in library world:
http://hacklibraryschool.com/2014/12/08/on-overcommitting/
Ask the Experts!
Strategic youth services planning is best seen as a marathon and not a sprint. There is a time for
everything in balancing services - and it needn't be ALL.THE.THINGS. all at once!
Marge Loch-Wouters
Youth Services Consultant for South West Library System, Wisconsin
Adjunct Lecturer, School of Library and Information Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
http://tinytipsforlibraryfun.blogspot.com/
You can be genuinely enthusiastic and encouraging about a new project or idea while being strategic at
the same time. Your staff and partners depend on you to keep the balance between resources and
output, so sometimes saying “I think we should hold on to this for later,” or even “I see the value, but I
don’t think we have the staff time to devote to this” is the most positive thing you can say.
Nina Lindsay
Supervising Librarian, Children’s Services, Oakland Public Library, Oakland California
http://readingwhilewhite.blogspot.com/
Beware The Sneaky Time Wasters
● The Internet - Seriously, where did the last ½ hour go?
● Your email - Are you checking your email every time a new message pops up?
● Your chatty coworker - Either this person just volunteered to help you cut out flannel
board pieces while they talk about last night’s Netflix discovery or you might need to
invent a reason to walk away. (No, it’s not mean, its work).
image source
http://tinyurl.com/htuxyua
Questions / Thoughts / Comments
How to Contact Us
In case you think of a question later
Amanda Yother – [email protected]
Megan Egbert – [email protected]
Rachel Fryd – [email protected]
